The Upside of the Downside
by 3iris
Summary: Another post finale story. This one incorporates some of the season 3 spoilers that are floating around.  Castle questions Kate on the demise of her latest relationship, and makes some realizations about how things got off track, and how to make it right.


**A/N: Another foray into the Castle world post season finale. I had to do something with all of the concerns presented by Bad Boy Biker Josh. I just keep telling myself that surely something good and shippy will come out of all this secondary love interest hogwash, right? We can only hope. I'm pretty sure this will just be two chapters. I'm finding it hard to concentrate on anything more demanding. I'm afraid my attention span is only going to get worse until September 20th.**

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The silence in the car was palpable. Detective Kate Beckett did not have a problem with quiet. It was easier to think, plan ahead, formulate a plan. Silence was not an extravagance she had much of since Richard Castle entered into the equation.

Richard Castle did not like quiet. It made him edgy. Talking through things, working through details, always helped him think straighter and organize his thoughts.

He hazarded another glance in her direction. He knew it was a risk. One of these times, she was going to yell at him to stop staring at her. She says it's creepy. He just considers it another of his investigational tools. He could learn a lot about her when she didn't know he was watching. The problem is, she knows. She had already caught him several times.

"What?" There was not a hint of patience in her question. She knew he was going to ask about it. She just wished that he would get on with it, and stop examining her like a specimen under a magnifying glass. "I am assuming somebody told you, so if you have a question, just . . . ask, or don't, but stop watching me." She turned back to watching the traffic not move in front of her, with white knuckles gripping the steering wheel.

He could see the little vein throbbing at her temple. The one that always pulsed a little faster before she blew up about something. He looked from the throbbing vein to the white knuckles, and recklessly decided to bring it up anyway. "Lanie said things did not work out with Josh?"

"That's what Lanie said?"

"Well, she said it with more colorful words, but that was what I took away from it." He studied her to see how she was taking it. She smiled a little, no doubt guessing which colorful words Lanie would have used to describe her no good cheating biker boyfriend . . . Ex-biker boyfriend. "I'm sorry."

She stole a glance at him. "No you're not."

"You're right. I'm not sorry to see him go. But, I am sorry that I was right about him being a jerk, and that you got hurt."

"It's not like I didn't expect it." She started drumming her thumbs on the steering wheel.

"I don't buy that. Nobody goes into a relationship expecting the worst. Especially you." He studied her again, watching as she became more and more tense.

Finally she turned to him, her attention completely off the traffic in front of her. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"The way I see it, there are only two categories of men that you let yourself be with."

"Oh, I can't wait to hear this."

"Category One. The _he's ok for tonight _guy. The one you know isn't right for you for anything past one night. You have to be pretty sure he feels the same way about you. No expectations, so no one gets hurt."

"The one night stand. You're territory. I am ready to hear your expertise on this one."

"This category includes the guys that are out of your comfort zone, but still do something for you, for one reason or another. ie: the old high school crush that you run into at the grocery store, the hot biker dude with a sensitive streak that you find at a bar, the guy from the gym with a lot of muscles and a little brains . . ."

"You're a writer, and this is all you can come up with?"

"Which brings me to Category Two. The _he could be the one _guy. This is the guy who has sticking around possibilities, the one you string along for a few dates first to test him out, see if you are right about him. You are careful with this one, because he has the potential to hurt you. He has similar interests, a similar job, endless patience . . . "

She put her attention back on the cars in front of her. "And you know this how?"

He could see that he hit a nerve. "Observation. I've met Will and Demming. Typical Category Two. I was not here to see how Josh crossed over from Category one to Category Two, but I am insanely curious about it. How did the classic badboy pass your long term possibilities criteria?"

She shook her head. "We are not having this discussion." She stared ahead at the gridlocked traffic, and sighed, closing her eyes. "The fact that you have profiled my sex life creeps me out more than a little."

"Sorry. You fascinate me. I can't help it." She looked over at him, to find him still watching her. She met his eyes, and had to smile at the playful sparkle. She looked away before she did something embarrassing, like blush. "Come on. Indulge me. Tell me how you allowed yourself to become involved with a Harley driving, leather wearing, unshaven, bike shop owning . . ."

"OK. I get the point." She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, willing the traffic to part so they could get back to the precinct and out of the close confinement of the Buick. "He seemed like a sweet, fun guy." She shrugged. "He was sexy. The first time he asked me out, I laughed at him. A few times later, I started to think about it. What's to lose by giving it a chance? I guess after things didn't work out with Tom, I started wondering exactly what I was looking for. Maybe I was missing out by thinking I had a certain 'type'." She took her hands off the wheel and made air quotes with her fingers. "I guess he came along at the right time."

"And?"

"I decided to give him a chance. We had a good time, a really good time. I guess the more I got to know him, the less risky he seemed. I didn't feel like I was testing him. He was just fun to be with, and it progressed slowly from there. I guess, for the first time, I didn't overanalyze it or over think it. I ignored my little voice that said, 'Be careful. He has a reputation for a reason.' I guess I learned my lesson."

"You just have to make sure you walk away with the right lesson." He didn't like where this conversation was heading. It was completely unfair. He was not oblivious to the fact that Kate judged him on his public image and his past indescretions. Now he supposed he would also be held accountable for the actions of a biker Casanova who did not know what he was throwing away. "Don't get rid of the spices all together, just because you've been burned by one hot dish."

She couldn't help but laugh. "I can always count on you for a really bad metaphor."

"What I am trying to say . . . "

"In English this time?"

"You have figured out what doesn't work. You don't want boring, safe, predictable. You want fun. You want romance. You want surprises. Don't give up looking for that. Don't go backwards and settle for the safe choice. I keep saying safe like it's a bad thing, and it's not. I just think you can have everything you want, and still have the security that everybody needs in a relationship. I'm proud of you for stepping out of the box with Josh. If I were around, I would not have encouraged it, but I think it was a bold move on your part. It's his loss that he didn't realize what he was giving up."

"I think if he didn't figure it out in the three months we were together, it's not something he is going to miss too badly."

"Three months? You've been together all summer? The way Ryan and Esposito talked, I assumed he was only around for a short time, a few weeks at the most. When did you call things off with Tom?"

That is when she realized what she had revealed.

"Why the interest in catching up with my personal life all of the sudden? Shouldn't you be focusing on your own relationship? How are things going with Gina anyway?"

She was a little too late with the diversion. He saw her panic when he brought up Demming, even though she tried to cover it quickly. "Gina and I are doing just fine. Things are much easier to navigate the second time around. I think I've learned which pitfalls to avoid."

"Sounds romantic."

He just raised his eyebrows at her, wondering if he didn't detect a hint of jealousy. "Romance isn't exactly our strong point, but it seems to be working so far."

"Didn't you just lecture me on holding out for romance and fun and surprises? Doesn't Gina deserve the same? Don't you?"

"We were talking about Demming? What happened there?"

"Nothing happened. He just ended up being not right for me."

"Did you come to this conclusion before or after you met Biker Josh?"

"Before. Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't. I'm just making conversation."

"You're giving me the third degree."

"Sorry. Let's talk about something else then."

"Fine."

Kate turned her attention back to the unmoving cars in front of her. Castle turned his attention to the view out of his window, instead of the infuriatingly stubborn woman that was in his thoughts all summer. She had provided him with plenty to think about, and for a change, he was happy to just finish their drive in a comfortable silence.


End file.
